Separating mechanism for threshing-machines.



` 4 A. D. 'BAKER a; o. GAIMAN.' SBPABATING MBUHANISM miy THBESHING mom WITNESS-55:.

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1H: NaRRls PETERS co., WASHING-run. n. c.

ITED STABES PATENT OFFICE.

ABNER D. BAKER AND OTTO GAIMAN, OF SWANTON, OHIO.

SEPARATING MECHANISM FOR V'IHRESII'IIIICr'-1V-IACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1, 1908.

Application filed February 12,` 1906. Serial No. 300,609.

.use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The usual treat-ment of straw as it comes from the threshing cylinder of a threshingmachine, mixed with a large'proportion of the grain, has been to agitate the strawA for the separation of the grain by means of rad-` dles or kindred devices. either shaken the straw to and fro or up and down and in some cases the straw has been rolled in a perforated cylinder. It is found in practice that these devices are unsatisfactory for the reason that an undueper cent. of grain is carried away andis lost in the straw discharged from the machine.

Our invention relates to and its object is to provide means for overcoming largely, if not entirely, the difiiculty here indicated, and is designed to substitute for the move ments heretofore employed in separators for the agitation of the straw the kind of motion that was so effectively used in tossing and turning the straw by hand when grain was threshed upon the oldA fashioned threshing iioors. fe attain these objects my means .of the devices and construction hereinafter described and shown, `and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,-

Figure l is a side elevation of our machine; Fig. 2, a top-plan view of one of the racks or frames hereinafterreferred to, and Fig. 3, a top-plan view of another of the racks hereinafter referred t-o.

Like numerals and letters of reference indictte like parts throughout the drawings.

ur wheeled-frame with inclosedsides, the threshing cylinder being located in the usual manner at the forwardV end, the threshed cleaned straw being discharged at the opposite end.

Our machine is provided with the usual or any preferred sieves, blowers, conveyers and the like which need not be here illus- These devices have machine is mounted on a stout trated or described as they will be understood by those skilled in the art and as they form no part of the present invention.

In the drawings, A is a shaft journaled in the frame of the machine and driven by .suitable connections with the shaft of the cylinder or otherwise. On theshaft'Ais a cam l carrying a cam and cam-rod plvotally connectechas at l, with grain-pan 2, mounted and adapted to reciprocate in the frame of the machine. Upon the shaft A is another cam 3 carrying a cam and cam-rod connected, as at 3a, to grainepan 4. The cams l and 8 are oppositely disposed so that the twol grain-pans 2 and 4c are moved in opposite directions.`

5 is a connecting rod pivotally connected at one end .to the grain-pan 2 and at its other end pivotally connected to the down-V wardly projecting extremity of Tshaped lever 6. This lever is secured by means of grip-bolts 6a to shaft B which forms for the lever a fulcrum located at the meeting points of its three arms. O ne extremity of the cross-arm of the lever 6 is slidably engaged with one extremity of lever 7 the other'end of which is clamped and fulcrumed upon shaft C, j ournaled in the frame of the machine. The other extremity of the `cross-arm of lever 6 is in like manner engaged with one end of lever 8, clamped and `fulcrumed at its middle upon shaft D,

journaled in the frame of the machine. The opposite end of the lever 8 is slidably engaged, as at 8, with. the extremity of lever 9, clamped and fulcrumed upon shaft E, journaled in the frame of the machine.

l0 is a connecting rod pivoted at one end to thegrain-pan l, as at 10, and at its other end to the lower extremity of the T-shaped lever 11. This lever is clamped and fulcrumed upon shaft F at the meeting point of the three arms of the lever. One end of the cross-arm of this lever is slidably connected, as at ll, with lever 1,2, clamped upon `shaft G, journaled in the frame of the mawe have .thus far only described one series n l l or set of levers, but it should be understood that the levers, connecting rods, and shafts are duplicated and are the same at both sides of the machine.

Upon each of the shafts from B to H inelusive is clamped one edge of a rack or frame 15. These racks or frames being all alike, a description of one will suffice. The top of the frame or rack is flat and consists of a series of bars 15a, preferably angular in cross-section, secured at their ends to sidepieces 15b. Beneath and in the same plane with the pieces 15b are like pieces 15c arranged at an angle to the part 15". rlhe parts 15' and 15c nearly meet at one end and are clamped by means of grippingbolts or otherwise upon the shaft to which they belong. The diverging extremities of the parts 15b and 15C are covered by a curved strip of sheet metal 15d which closes the edge of the rack or frame 15 opposite its shaft. The frame or rack here described lis an openwork frame through which grain may fall onto the grain tables or pans beneath, the edge of the frame farthest from the thresh- Aing cylinder being secured, in each instance,

to the shaft to which the rack belongs, the opposite edge of the rack being broadened vertically, the broadened end being closed by a curved strip of sheet metal forming a straw-guard or apron. he rack is, in outline, substantially a segment of a cylinder. Each of the racks or frames, being gripped upon its shaft by gripping-bolts, may be adjusted upon its shaft as may be required. Each of the levers upon the extremities of these sha `ts, being gripped in place, may be adjusted in relation to the shaft as may be desired. The several frames or racks, by way of illustration, seven in number, may be regarded as of two series composed respectively of alternate racks or frames. The adjustment and arrangement of these two series is such that when one set swings upwardly, the other set swings downwardly, the two alternating sets moving constantly in opposite directions. By means of adjusting holes 16 in the downwardly projecting arnis ofthe levers G and 11, the point of connection with the driving-rods 5 and 10 may be changed so that the swing or throw of these levers and the resulting swing of the remaining leversmay be varied as may be required.

17 is a raddle the side members of which are pivoted, as at 1S, to the graiirpan 2, the opposite end being` supported by hangers 19. The raddle 17 is disposed next to the threshing cylinder and has an upward and rearward motion which carries the straw onto the first of the series of racks or frames 15.

The operation of our machine is as follows: Assuming that the machine is in inotion and that straw mixed with grain is fed.

onto the top of the first rack 15V-this rack now swings upwardly and tosses the straw with a whirling motion onto the second rack 15 which, when `the first rack is at the top of its swing, is at the bottoni of its swing. Now the second raclr swings upwardly and again tosses the straw forward onto the third rack which in turn passes it along in the same manner from rack to rack until the straw is discharged at the rear end of the machine. rPluis a constant stream of straw is passed along from one rack to another, each upward movement of each of the racks tossing the straw and turning it over so that all the grain is shaken out of the straw and allowed to drop down through the open j frames onto the grain tables. from whence the grain passes to the usual cleai'iing devices. By means of the adjustment above described, the swing of the arnis and racks may be made as great or small as the conditions may require. lt will be seen that the curved closures 15 of the edges of the racks 15 swinging in an arc close to its neighboring rack prevent the straw from passing beneath or between the racks instead ot' on top as de,- scribed.

Having described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,-

1. 1n a device of the described ch aracler, a, frame, a threshing cylinder mounted at the forward end of the frame, the space between the sides of the ilrai'ne forming a straw-way leading from the forward end of the inachine to its discharge end, a series of racks disposed transversely of said straw-way and extending respectively entirely across said straw-way, ay pivotal supportfor each of said racks disposed at the side of the rack toward the discharge end of the straw-way, and means for swinging the adjacent racks in said series in opposite directions.

2. in a device of the described character, a trame, a threshing cylinder mounted at the forward end of the frame, the space between the sides of the frame forming` a straw-way leading from the forward end of the niachine to its discharge end, a series of racks disposed 'transversely of said st raw-way and extending respectively entirely across said straw-way, a pivotal support for each ot' said raclis disposed at the side of the rack toward the, discharge end of the straw way, means for swinging the adjacent rar-lts in said series in opposite directions, and a depending straw-guard secured to the forward side of each of said racks.

In testimony whereof we atlix our signa tures in presence of two witnesses.

BNER D. BAKER OTTO GAlil/AN.

Witnesses P. M. BRAILEY,

ADA LAW. 

